WGR

‘“When I got here, you know you hear a lot of things before you come into the building,” McDermott said. “And that’s true of anyone taking any new job. You try to do your research. I had some people who had worked here before, so I knew there were some good people here. I learned from where I was that you don’t just go in and have guns blazing. You listen. And I tried to do that. And in doing so, found out there were in fact, it’s true, there were a number of good people here. And that’s really where it starts, with people in terms of building the culture. And then when Brandon got here, we continued to add. Brandon’s done a phenomenal job. I think this is where us being aligned on the DNA as he mentioned a few minutes ago, the types of people we want to bring in, not only players, but also at the staff level. That’s been a huge part of it.’

‘“The next step was watching him through the year, and then going to see him play live. The great thing about seeing a guy play live at quarterback is yes, I can see all the stuff that I can watch on film, but I can see all the stuff in pre-game, how’s he interacting with his guys. When they’re going through stretch lines, is he patting them on the butt and getting them going? When they go three-and-out two series’ in a row, what’s he doing? When he comes off, who’s he talking to? Is he talking to one guy, is he screaming at people, is he a mute? What’s his leadership like? It’s such an important part of playing that position, because we all know you’re going to have those days or weeks when you lose three in a row. How’s he going to respond? Can he handle adversity?”’

‘No. 12 then thanked everybody around in his life including his coaches family, friends and of course the fans with a message of encouragement. “The fans… make a difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow… every single person in this room can be a difference maker.”‘

‘Going into year two, White will be counted on and expected to be the team’s No. 1 CB in most situations, and that’s even with two-time pro bowler Vontae Davis on the other side of him.’

‘The Buffalo Bills have announced how fans can get tickets to the five ticketed training camp practices at St. John Fisher College and one at New Era Field.’

‘“One day when I’m done with football I want to be a director and producer in movies,” McCloud told me after one of his final minicamp practice before heading back to Florida before training camp starts, adding he wants to act, as well. “I’m going to learn how to write scripts word-for-word, but right now I just write how I want my movie to be, planned out and set.”’

‘As current running Bills back LeSean McCoy is under investigation, the Buffalo Bills are looking at potential options in case they need a replacement for the 2018 NFL season. Oliver is looking for a fresh start after struggling the past few seasons. While there are reports that Oliver is going to workout out with Buffalo, nothing has been confirmed just yet.’

‘After digging in and doing the research of how teams who played in the Hall of Fame Game performed in their regular-season opener, since 2011 there has been no quantifiable advantage as far as wins vs. losses. In fact, after going a combined 4-2 on opening weekend from 2012 – 2014, teams who played in the Hall of Fame Game have gone a combined 2-4 since, for an overall record of 6-6.’

‘”There has been so much change, at what point does Josh Allen even see the field? At what point does Sam Darnold see the field? Miami just totally hit the reset button on their locker room. If you keep it in the division, it’s still New England and everyone else.”‘

‘ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported that the Buffalo Bills are aware of the LeSean McCoy allegations and are looking into it.’

‘”Who’s the quarterback, though?” Come on, everyone knows this was going to be the top question surrounding the Bills.’

‘”I asked Brandon Beane: ‘What’s a Buffalo Bills Player?’ That’s when he went into that they research every person that they draft and they don’t want anybody who’s gonna be a distraction, and that’s when he said that Colin Kaepernick would be a distraction.”‘

‘It was just about two o’clock in the afternoon on Halloween, two hours before the NFL trade deadline. Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane’s phone rang. On the other end was Carolina Panthers’ GM Marty Hurney, who wanted to revisit a conversation the two were having just the day before.’

‘“It’s weird, because every year, not that I didn’t expect to get this far, it’s just I look at backs like Frank Gore, there’s not a lot of them,” McCoy said. “There’s not a lot of guys out there. I want to chase that and be one of those guys. I hang out with them in the offseason, a lot of the running backs like the [Todd] Gurleys, and the [Le’Veon] Bells, the way they view me is like the ‘old head baller’. It drives me. It does, because I remember being 25, 24, looking at the older guys, saying ‘I’m going to catch him, I want to be better than him’. Now, it’s like reversed. Now it’s like, ‘okay, I’m still an elite player, but the young guys are creeping on me,’ so I’ve got to continue to do better and do better. Stack my numbers up, stack my wins up. Just make that portfolio of just a baller. A solid career.”’

‘“We have to continue to go through and get to know one another and understand where one another has come from and our backgrounds respectively and build this team, bringing it together. That’ll happen over the course of time as you go through moments like training camp and where we get a chance to get away a little bit in fellowship with one another on and off the field.”‘